Simultaneous messaging systems and methods

ABSTRACT

At least one of the embodiments described herein relate generally to a method of communicating an engagement to a plurality of active mobile devices, wherein each active mobile device is associated with an active user. The method may include providing at least one communication socket to each of the active mobile devices; receiving location data from those devices including information related to an engagement. In response to receiving the engagement location, a qualified active mobile device can be identified near the engagement location. The selected qualified active mobile device can correspond to the qualified user account with a preferred record.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/651,458 filed on Jul. 17, 2017 and titled “SIMULTANEOUS MESSAGINGSYSTEMS AND METHODS”, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/182,029 filed on Jun. 14, 2016 and titled“SIMULTANEOUS MESSAGING SYSTEM AND METHOD” (now U.S. Pat. No. 9,756,492issued on Sep. 5, 2017). The complete disclosure of each of U.S. patentapplication Ser. Nos. 15/182,029 and 15/651,458 is incorporated hereinby reference.

FIELD

The embodiments described herein relate to systems and methods ofdistributing notifications and in particular to a plurality ofrecipients.

BACKGROUND

Consumers that desire certain products and services may seek out vendorsor information through a number of sources including word of mouth,printed advertising via publications such as the YellowPages™ ornewspaper classifieds, and the Internet. In general, a significantamount of time may pass between the consumer's initial research and theconsumer obtaining the product or service. A portion of this delay maybe the result of the consumer spending too much time researching due tolack of knowledge, the inability to identify a suitable product orservice as a result of too many choices, or delays associated withfinding someone knowledgeable for assistance (e.g. the person withknowledge is not available to scheduling issues).

Therefore, it is desirable reduce this delay so as to enable consumersto quickly obtain information or products they desire, and for serviceproviders and merchants to have a way to quickly identify consumers whodesire their specific products and services so as to help increase thelikelihood of a successful sale.

SUMMARY

The various embodiments described herein generally relate to methods andsystems of communicating an engagement.

In accordance with an embodiment, there is provided a method ofcommunicating an engagement to a plurality of active mobile devices.Each active mobile device is associated with an active user. The methodincludes: providing at least one data communication socket for eachactive mobile device in the plurality of active mobile devices, whereinthe at least one data communication socket includes a location datacommunication socket and a secondary data communication socket;receiving a plurality of location data streams, wherein each locationdata stream includes location data corresponding to a physical locationof each active mobile device, and wherein the location data iscommunicated via the location data communication socket; receivingengagement information including at least an engagement location; inresponse to receiving the engagement information, identifying one ormore qualified active mobile devices near the engagement location,wherein identifying the one or more qualified active mobile deviceincludes: (i) detecting a set of nearby active mobile devices, whereinthe set of nearby active mobile devices includes one or more activemobile devices within a proximity threshold of the engagement location;and (ii) selecting the one or more qualified active mobile devices fromthe set of nearby active mobile devices by identifying the nearby activemobile devices associated with a qualified user account; selecting aqualified active mobile device from the identified one or more qualifiedactive mobile devices for receiving an engagement notification, whereinthe selected qualified active mobile device corresponds to the qualifieduser account with a preferred record; providing the engagementnotification to the selected qualified active mobile device; anddetecting a reply from the selected qualified active mobile device viathe second data communication socket.

In some embodiments, identifying the nearby active mobile devicesassociated with the qualified user account includes: determining anaccount type associated with each user account corresponding to eachnearby active mobile devices of the set of nearby active mobile devices,wherein the account type includes a qualified account type and anunqualified account type.

In some embodiments, the qualified account type is assigned to a useraccount qualified to offer a set of products.

In some embodiments, selecting the qualified active mobile device fromthe identified one or more qualified active mobile devices for receivingthe engagement notification includes: determining a performance recordassociated with each user account corresponding to the identified one ormore qualified active mobile devices, wherein the preferred recordincludes the performance record with a highest sales record.

In some embodiments, detecting the reply from the selected qualifiedactive mobile device via the second data communication socket includes:receiving the reply from the selected qualified active mobile device;and in response to an acceptance of the engagement, transmitting atleast a portion of the engagement information to the selected qualifiedactive mobile device, and in response to a decline of the engagement,selecting a subsequent qualified active mobile device from theidentified one or more qualified active mobile devices to receive theengagement notification.

In some embodiments, selecting the subsequent qualified active mobiledevice from the identified one or more qualified active mobile devicesto receive the engagement notification includes: selecting a qualifiedactive mobile device from the identified one or more qualified activemobile devices that corresponds to the qualified user with a nexthighest sales record.

In some embodiments, detecting the reply from the selected qualifiedactive mobile device via the second data communication socket includes:determining whether the reply is received within a notification period;and in response to determining the reply is received within thenotification period, generating an engagement confirmation notificationto the selected qualified active mobile device, otherwise, selecting asubsequent qualified active mobile device from the identified one ormore qualified active mobile devices to receive the engagementnotification.

In accordance with an embodiment, there is provided a system forcommunicating an engagement to a plurality of active mobile devices.Each active mobile device is associated with an active user. The systemincludes: a communication interface; a non-transitory memory; a computerprocessor configured to execute instructions stored in thenon-transitory memory to: establish, at the communication interface, atleast one data communication socket for each active mobile device,wherein the at least one data communication socket includes a locationdata communication socket and a secondary data communication socket;receive, at the communication interface, a plurality of location datastreams, wherein each location data stream includes location datacorresponding to a physical location of each active mobile device, andwherein the location data is communicated via the location datacommunication socket; receive, at the communication interface,engagement information includes at least an engagement location; inresponse to receiving the engagement information, identify one or morequalified active mobile devices near the engagement location by: (i)detecting a set of nearby active mobile devices, wherein the set ofnearby active mobile devices includes one or more active mobile deviceswithin a proximity threshold of the engagement location; and (ii)selecting the one or more qualified active mobile devices from the setof nearby active mobile devices by identifying the nearby active mobiledevices associated with a qualified user account; select a qualifiedactive mobile device from the identified one or more qualified activemobile devices for receiving an engagement notification, wherein thequalified active mobile device corresponds to the qualified user accountwith a preferred record; provide the engagement notification to theselected qualified active mobile device; and detect a reply from theselected qualified active mobile device via the second datacommunication socket.

In accordance with an embodiment, there is provided a method ofcommunicating an engagement to a plurality of active mobile devices.Each active mobile device is associated with an active user. The methodincludes: providing at least one data communication socket for eachactive mobile device in the plurality of active mobile devices;identifying one or more qualified active mobile devices, each qualifiedactive mobile device being associated with a qualified user account;selecting a qualified active mobile device from the identified one ormore qualified active mobile devices for receiving an engagementnotification, wherein the qualified active mobile device corresponds tothe qualified user account with a preferred record; providing theengagement notification to the selected qualified active mobile device;and detecting a reply from the selected qualified active mobile devicevia the at least one data communication socket.

In some embodiments, the qualified user account includes a user accountqualified to offer a set of products.

In some embodiments, selecting the qualified active mobile device fromthe identified one or more qualified active mobile devices for receivingthe engagement notification includes: determining a performance recordassociated with each user account corresponding to the identified one ormore qualified active mobile devices, wherein the preferred recordincludes the performance record with a highest sales record.

In some embodiments, detecting the reply from the selected qualifiedactive mobile device via the second data communication socket includes:receiving the reply from the selected qualified active mobile device;and in response to an acceptance of the engagement, transmitting atleast a portion of the engagement information to the selected qualifiedactive mobile device, and in response to a decline of the engagement,selecting a subsequent qualified active mobile device from theidentified one or more qualified active mobile devices to receive theengagement notification.

In some embodiments, selecting the subsequent qualified active mobiledevice from the identified one or more qualified active mobile devicesto receive the engagement notification includes: selecting a qualifiedactive mobile device from the identified one or more qualified activemobile devices that corresponds to the preferred user with a subsequentpreferred record.

In some embodiments, detecting the reply from the selected qualifiedactive mobile device via the second data communication socket includes:determining whether the reply is received within a notification period;and in response to determining the reply is received within thenotification period, generating an engagement confirmation notificationto the selected qualified active mobile device, otherwise, selecting asubsequent qualified active mobile device from the identified one ormore qualified active mobile devices to receive the engagementnotification.

In accordance with an embodiment, there is provided a system forcommunicating an engagement to a plurality of active mobile devices.Each active mobile device is associated with an active user. The systemincludes: a communication interface; a non-transitory memory; a computerprocessor configured to execute instructions stored in thenon-transitory memory to: provide, at the communication interface, atleast one data communication socket for each active mobile device in theplurality of active mobile devices; identify one or more qualifiedactive mobile devices, each qualified active mobile device beingassociated with a qualified user account; select a qualified activemobile device from the identified one or more qualified active mobiledevices for receiving an engagement notification, wherein the qualifiedactive mobile device corresponds to the qualified user account with apreferred record; provide the engagement notification to the selectedqualified active mobile device; and detect a reply from the selectedqualified active mobile device via the at least one data communicationsocket.

In some embodiments, the qualified user account includes a user accountqualified to offer a set of products.

In some embodiments, the computer processor is configured to: determinea performance record associated with each user account corresponding tothe identified one or more qualified active mobile devices, wherein thepreferred record includes the performance record with a highest salesrecord.

In some embodiments, the computer processor is configured to: receivethe reply from the selected qualified active mobile device; and inresponse to an acceptance of the engagement, transmit at least a portionof the engagement information to the selected qualified active mobiledevice, and in response to a decline of the engagement, select asubsequent qualified active mobile device from the identified one ormore qualified active mobile devices to receive the engagementnotification.

In some embodiments, the computer processor is configured to: select aqualified active mobile device from the identified one or more qualifiedactive mobile devices that corresponds to the preferred user with asubsequent preferred record.

In some embodiments, the computer processor is configured to: determinewhether the reply is received within a notification period; and inresponse to determining the reply is received within the notificationperiod, generate an engagement confirmation notification to the selectedqualified active mobile device, otherwise, select a subsequent qualifiedactive mobile device from the identified one or more qualified activemobile devices to receive the engagement notification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Several embodiments will now be described in detail with reference tothe drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of components interacting with an examplemessaging system in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 2 is an example data flow within the example messaging system shownin FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a screenshot of an example user interface;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example method of communicating anengagement in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 5A is a screenshot of an example user interface during an exampleoperation of the method of FIG. 4 in accordance with an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 5B shows the user interface of FIG. 5A at a subsequent point duringthe method of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5C shows the user interface of FIG. 5B at a subsequent point duringthe method of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5D shows the user interface of FIG. 5C at a subsequent point duringthe method of FIG. 4;

FIG. 5E shows a screenshot of an example user interface during themethod of FIG. 4 in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example method for establishing voicecommunication in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 7 is an example user interface for receiving data for aself-directed engagement in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of another example method of communicating anengagement in accordance with an example embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of another example method of communicating anengagement in accordance with an example embodiment; and

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of an example method of communicating anengagement to a subsequent device in accordance with an exampleembodiment.

The drawings, described below, are provided for purposes ofillustration, and not of limitation, of the aspects and features ofvarious examples of embodiments described herein. For simplicity andclarity of illustration, elements shown in the drawings have notnecessarily been drawn to scale. The dimensions of some of the elementsmay be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. It will beappreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, whereconsidered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among thedrawings to indicate corresponding or analogous elements or steps.

DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

The embodiments described herein relate to methods and systems forcommunicating information related to an engagement request to users ofmobile devices. The users of the mobile devices can be geographicallyremote from each other, such as in different areas within a city, stateor province, or in different countries.

An engagement request can include a request for a meeting between anagent and a client. The meeting can include any form of interactionbetween the agent and the client, such as via phone, text chat, email,video chat, face-to-face and/or other similar form of communication. Thepurpose of the meeting may include but is not limited to sharing ofinformation, a discussion related to a purchase/sale of a product and/orservice, or an estimation of fees related to a product and/or service.For example, the engagement can first involve an agent reviewing photoof a plumbing issue received from a client and providing a cost estimatepotential, and subsequently attending to the problem on-site.

The term “client” refers to the party requesting the service, productand/or information and the term “agent” refers to the party providingthe service, product and/or information. For example, the agent can be arepresentative of an insurance broker and the client is a consumerinterested in purchasing insurance. An engagement can include aface-to-face meeting between the insurance agent and the client todiscuss the insurance policies that may be available. For the client,the discussion may result in the agent selling the client one or moreinsurance products, or alternatively, the client obtaining usefulinformation for additional analysis and decision making. In otherexamples, the engagement can involve providing a service by an agent whois a service provider such as a plumber, locksmith, electrician orcontractor.

A person seeking services or product information can seek an agentthrough directories such as the local YellowPages® directory, localclassifieds or through an Internet query. From the directories, a numberof agents can be identified and the person can then contact the agent toseek more information. The agent(s) contacted can be busy, or may not bequalified to provide the information or services desired. When settingup an engagement, several rounds of correspondence may be required,which can delay setting up the engagement. The process may be delayedfurther if any of the correspondences are erroneously redirectedcorrespondence into the “spam” or “junk” folder of the email inbox. Theprocess for setting up an engagement can be cumbersome and lengthy, andeven when an engagement is set up, the agent may not be availableimmediately or anytime soon.

From a client's perspective, it is typically desirable to obtain theservices and/or products as soon as possible, particularly if the matteris urgent (e.g. a flooded basement). From an agent's perspective,meeting with a potential client as soon as possible will increase thelikelihood of the transaction, especially if the agent is able to becomeinvolved in the decision-making process at the early stages. Tofacilitate the engagement process, the described methods and systemsapply at least location detection technologies and low-latencycommunication to distribute leads efficiently via mobile devices, and toenable nearly immediate response from the agents to the lead.Distribution of leads with the methods and systems described herein cansignificantly reduce the time between an initial engagement request andincrease the likelihood of an engagement between the agent and thepotential client.

Although the examples described herein are in the context of providinginsurance, the methods and systems described herein can be applied toother areas and are not limited to the insurance industry.

Referring now to FIG. 1, shown therein is a block diagram 100 of anexample messaging system 120 interacting with an agent device 140 and aclient device 160 via a network 150. Although only one agent device 140and one client device 160 are shown, more agent devices 140 and clientdevices 160 can engage with the messaging system 120 at any one time.

The network 150 can include any network capable of carrying data,including the Internet, Ethernet, plain old telephone service (POTS)line, public switch telephone network (PSTN), integrated servicesdigital network (ISDN), digital subscriber line (DSL), coaxial cable,fiber optics, satellite, mobile, wireless (e.g. Wi-Fi, WiMAX), SS7signaling network, fixed line, local area network, wide area network,and others, including any combination of these, capable of interfacingwith, and enabling electronic communication between the messaging system120, the agent device 140, and the client device 160.

The agent device 140 and the client device 160 can be any device capableof communicating with other devices via the network 150. For example,and without limitation, the agent device 140 and the client device 160can include a personal computer, laptop, personal data assistant,cellular telephone, smart-phone device, tablet computer, and/or otherwireless device. The agent device 140 includes an agent communicationcomponent 144, an agent processor 146 and an agent storage component148, and the client device 160 includes a client communication component164, a client processor 166 and a client storage component 168.

The agent and client communication components 144 and 164 are analogouscomponents with similar functionality. The communication components 144and 164 can operate to enable communication via the network 150 viaserial, parallel, Bluetooth, WiFi, cellular (EDGE, 3G, 4G, HSPA, or LTE)and USB connections. The communication components 144 and 164 canoperate based on various communication protocols including, but notlimited to, TCP, UDP, HTTP, HTTPS and UDP.

In some embodiments, the communication components 144 and 164 can beconfigured to access resources that provide location services andlocation data, including GPS, Assisted GPS, GLONASS, Cell Tower ID,Wi-Fi positioning system and the like. The ability of the communicationcomponents 144 and 164 to access location services and location data maybe useful for agent devices 140 that move between engagements from onelocation to another over time. Location data may be provided to themessaging system 120 on a regular basis to keep the messaging system 120updated with respect to the whereabouts of the agent devices 140 togenerate notifications to agent devices 140 geographically near theclient devices 160.

In some embodiments, a low latency communication link can be establishedbetween the agent devices 140, the client devices 160 and the messagingsystem 120 via the network 150. For example, the communication link canbe established with a WebSocket protocol over a TCP/IP connection. TheWebSocket protocol, which is defined within the HTML5 specification, maybe used to provide a full-duplex, bi-directional communication channelover a conventional HTTP connection via an upgrade protocol between anHTML5-compliant application (i.e. software client) and anHTML5-compliant server. To enhance security, the WebSocket communicationchannel may be encrypted.

Once a WebSocket channel is established, data frames (text or binary)may be sent back and forth between the messaging application 142, 162and the messaging system 120 in full-duplex mode. For example, locationdata may be streamed continuously from the agent device 140 to themessaging system 120 using a first WebSocket channel and other types ofdata may be transmitted between the messaging system 120 and the agentdevice 140 using a second WebSocket channel.

The agent and client processors 146 and 166 are analogous componentswith similar functionality. The processors 146, 166 can include anysuitable controllers or digital signal processors that can providesufficient processing power depending on the configuration, purposes andrequirements of the agent device 140 and client device 160. In someembodiments, the processors 146, 166 can include more than one processorwith each processor being configured to perform different dedicatedtasks.

The agent and client storage component 148 are analogous components withsimilar functionality. As shown in FIG. 1, each of the storagecomponents 148, 168 includes a messaging application 142, 162 executableby the processors 146, 166 to operate with the messaging system 120. Forexample, the messaging application 142 can operate to receivenotifications from the messaging system 120 regarding potentialengagements via the agent communication component 144.

In some embodiments, the storage components 148, 168 can storeuser-specific data such as login-credentials to access the messagingsystem 120. In some embodiments, the storage component 148 can storenotifications related to potential engagements that can be reviewed bythe agent of the agent device 140 immediately or later on.

The messaging system 120 includes a system storage server 122, anapplication server 124 and a client relations manager 126.

The system storage server 122, the application server and the clientrelations manager 126 can be provided on one or more computer serversthat include one or more processors with computing processing abilitiesand memory such as a database(s) or file system(s). Also, the systemstorage server 122, the application server and the client relationsmanager 126 can be distributed over a wide geographic area and connectedvia the network 150.

For example, the messaging system 120 can be operated by an insurancebroker to receive inquiries from potential clients and to providenotifications to agents regarding potential engagements. Clientinquiries made to the broker for information regarding insuranceproducts may be provided to the client relations manager 126 so that arecord of the interaction may be made. Client information provided tothe client relations manager 126 may then be stored in the systemstorage server 122. The application server 124 may be used to coordinatethe flow of data provided to the client relations manager 126 and thesystem storage server 122. The application server 124 may coordinate theflow of data and provide communication between the agent device 140 andthe messaging system 120, or between the client device 160, themessaging system 120 and other devices.

In some embodiments, the client device 160 may be operated by a clientto interact with an insurance broker via the messaging system 120. Forexample, a client can operate the client device 160 to conduct researchon an insurance product. The research can involve a query on one or moreInternet search engines, such as Google™, Yahoo!™ or Microsoft™. Thesearch results may include a link directing the client to a webpageoperated by the insurance broker designed to provide information relatedto insurance products and services offered by that broker.

The webpage can be hosted by the messaging system 120, such as theapplication server 124 or the client relations manager 126. Themessaging system 120 can receive input via the webpage, for example, tocollect information from the potential client in respect of theinsurance product. For example, the messaging system 120 can receivecontact information of the potential client, such as a phone number, atwhich the client can be contacted for setting up an engagement. Thepotential client and the agent can connect via the respective devices140 and 160 via voice and/or video initially. In some other embodiments,the client can initiate an engagement with the agent directly via themessaging application 162.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is a block diagram 200 of anexample data flow between an example agent device 210 installed with themessaging application 142 and the messaging system 120 for establishingan engagement. The block diagram 200 shows an example implementation ofthe application server 124, the system storage server 122 and the clientrelations manager 126.

The application server 124 may process all data received from the agentdevice 210 and client relations manager 126. For example, the data thatis processed may include authentication and location data provided tothe agent device 210 and data related to a client collected by theclient relations manager 126. The application server 124 may communicatedata regarding potential engagements to the appropriate agents.

The agent device 210 is an example embodiment of the agent device 140 ofFIG. 1. The agent device 210 operates on an operating system, such as,but not limited to, Android™, Windows™ Phone, or iOS™, to execute themobile application installed. When the mobile application is executed,the agent device 210 can access local hardware resources via the driverfactory 216, for example, and can also communicate with the applicationserver 124 to conduct the functionalities as described herein.

For example, the mobile application may operate to determine a locationof the agent device 210 with the GPS listener 212. The GPS listener 212may access the position detection hardware at the agent device 210 toobtain location and other physical data that may be transmitted to theapplication server 124 using the transmitter 214. The transmitter 214may be a software module of the mobile application that uses the agentdevice's hardware resources to establish a WebSocket link to communicatewith the application server 124. In some embodiments, the transmitter214 may use a dedicated WebSocket link to transmit position informationto the application server 124.

The mobile application may include a user interface 220 for displayinginformation received from the application server 124 and receiving userinput. For example, location or map data concerning the location of anengagement may be received via a WebSocket channel by the map socketlistener 218 and rendered on the user interface 220. Other informationmay also be received via another WebSocket channel by the dedicatedsocket listener 224 and similarly presented on the user interface.

The user action handler 222 may receive user input from the userinterface 220. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when a user accesses theapplication server 124, the user is first authenticated by theapplication server 124. FIG. 3 shows an example login interface fromwhich the application server 124 can receive the login information ofthe user via the user interface 220 of the mobile application. Theexample login interface can include an email identifier field 220 a anda password field 220 b. When a submission control 220 c on the logininterface is selected, the user action handler 222 may then provide thereceived login information to the application server 124 forauthenticating the user operating the agent device 210. If theapplication server 124 authenticates the user, that agent device 210 ismarked as an active agent device and corresponds to an active agent.

The application server 124 may provide the decision-making functions ofthe messaging system 120 for establishing engagements. The applicationserver 124 may operate on any server environment capable of providingthe purposes and configuration of the described messaging system 120.Example server environments include, but are not limited to, MicrosoftWindows Server™ or any variant of the Linux™ operating system such asUbuntu™, FreeBSD™ and CentOS™.

In some embodiments, the mobile application may communicate with theapplication server 124 via established WebSocket channels. The mobileapplication may not have direct access to the system storage server 122and can transmit and receive data from the system storage server 122 viathe application server 124. In some embodiments, the mobile applicationmay have direct access to the system storage server 122 for transmittingand receiving data directly.

In some embodiments, the application server 124 may receive locationdata streams via the map socket listener 234. The location data may betransmitted by the transmitter 214 of the mobile application through adedicated WebSocket channel, such as the map socket 232. The locationdata streams can include location data that corresponds to the physicallocation of the agent device 210 gathered by the GPS listener 212. Insome cases, the location data stream may also include timestamps thataccompany the location data.

Modifying the transmission frequency of the location data can increasethe power efficiency of the battery at the agent device 210 as well asthe system resources at the agent device 210 (e.g. processing, memory,etc.), reduce congestion of the long-range communication networks, andreduce the processing burden at the application server 124 (i.e. theapplication server 124 may have fewer activities). The transmissionfrequency of the location data can be varied by the user.

The frequency at which the location data is transmitted can be apredefined time intervals (e.g. every 60 seconds) or as triggered by themobile application. For example, if the mobile application detects thatthe agent device 210 is in motion, the frequency at which the locationdata is transmitted may be increased. The frequency may vary with thespeed at which the agent device 210 is in motion. For example, thefrequency at which the location data is transmitted may be increased toevery 5 seconds when the detected motion is at a rate that correspondsto driving (e.g. where the speed is greater than 20 km/h); if thedetected motion is at a rate that corresponds to walking (e.g. where thespeed is around 5 km/h), the frequency at which the location data istransmitted may be increased to every 15 seconds; and if the agentdevice 210 is experiencing little to no movement, the frequency at whichthe location data is transmitted may be maintained at the predefinedtime interval.

In some embodiments, the frequency at which the location data istransmitted may vary with the communication network that is available tothe agent device 210. For example, if the agent device 210 only hasaccess to long-range communication (e.g. cellular, 3G, LTE and thelike), the agent device 210 can transmit location data at the predefinedtime interval but if the agent device 210 has access to short rangecommunication (e.g. Wi-Fi communication), the mobile application mayincrease the frequency at which the location data is transmitted.

In some embodiments, the frequency at which the location data istransmitted can be decreased if the mobile application detects that thebattery of the agent device 210 is below a set threshold.

The location data of the agent device 210 may be sent to the systemstorage server 122 by the map socket listener 234 for storage. In someembodiments, recent location data received by the application server 124(and stored in system storage server 122) may be designated as “current”for a specified amount of time (e.g. 90 minutes) so that an agent maystill be notified of nearby engagements even if the agent appearsoffline at the time the engagement became available. For example, theagent device 210 may become temporarily disconnected from theapplication server 124 due to weak network connectivity or temporarilyissues with the network connectivity.

The map socket 232 may be used to transmit mapping data produced by thedata analyzer 236 to the mobile application. For example, when an agentis selected to attend an engagement, the data related to the location ofthe engagement may be sent by the data analyzer 236 via the map socket232 to the map socket listener 218 of the mobile application. Themapping data may be rendered by the user interface 220 for display tothe agent at the agent device 210.

In some embodiments, the application server 124 may also communicatewith the agent device 210 through a dedicated WebSocket channel, such asthe factory socket 238. The factory socket 238 may be used to send andreceive data other than location data, in some embodiments. For example,user inputs received from the user action handler 222 of the mobileapplication may be transmitted by the user action handler 222 to thefactory socket listener 240 via factory socket 238. Data to be providedto the mobile application may be sent by the personal data manager 242via the factory socket 238 to the dedicated socket listener 224 of themobile application. In some embodiments, the data obtained by thepersonal data manager 242 may be obtained from the system storage server122 through the application server data socket listener 244.

Although FIG. 2 illustrates only one map socket and only one factorysocket, the number of sockets available at the application server 124may increase with the number of active agent devices in communicationwith the application server 124. For example, the number of locationdata streams increases with more active agent devices so that moreinstances of map sockets may be needed. Similarly, more instances offactory sockets may be required to transmit other data.

The system storage server 122 may be used to maintain and store all theinformation needed to operate the messaging system 120. In someembodiments, the system storage server 122 may be used to store datarelated to clients (e.g. leads indicating the type of insurance productdesired, their location, profile information), engagements, records ofprior interactions (e.g. calls and engagements), location data receivedfrom the agent devices and agent or user login information.

The system storage server 122 may be in communication with theapplication server 124 via WebSocket channels. Use of the WebSocketchannels can provide rapid and low-latency socket connections, which canreduce operation time related to requesting/receiving data such asbusiness or client information. Location data originating from the agentdevice 210 may be received from the application server 124 by the minersocket listener 254 through the data miner socket 252. The location datamay be processed by the map trace collector 256 so that the data may besaved into the database manager and database 262. In some embodiments,the data may be “mined” or processed to calculate distances between aclient and an agent, as well as to determine the movement patterns ofagents for the purpose of selecting an agent to participate in anengagement.

Data other than location data may be received from the applicationserver 124 and processed by the data server data socket listener 260 viathe data server data socket 258 and saved at the database manager anddatabase 262. Data transmitted to the application server 124 may be sentby the database manager and database 262 through the data server datasocket 258. For example, the application server 124 may provide thesystem storage server 122 with a read request to retrieve informationrelated to an upcoming engagement and distribute this data to the agentchosen to participate in that engagement. Data for the engagement, forexample, may be provided to the application server 124 via the dataserver data socket 258.

The system storage server 122 may be implemented in various manners. Forexample, the system storage server 122 may be a component of theapplication server 124. In some embodiments, the system storage server122 may operate as a separate server within the same data center as theapplication server 124. In some embodiments, the system storage server122 may operate remotely from the application server 124 so that theapplication server 124 may be required to operate an application moduleto permit the data stored on the system storage server 122 to appear asa local network resource. In some embodiments, the system storage server122 may be implemented with cloud storage technologies in which accessto the stored data may be facilitated via calls to an ApplicationProgramming Interface (API) specific for the cloud storage resource.

The client relations manager 126 may be used for tracking clientinteractions by the insurance broker and for performing tasks such asdata collection related to existing and potential clients, client dataanalysis and analytics, report generation and generation of potentialleads for engagements. The client relations manager 126 may be operatedwith the application server 124 to provide a system to automate sales,marketing and customer support. For example, client informationcollected through the client relations manager 126 may be processed bythe client data manager 274 to generate client data and passed onto theapplication server 124 via the app data updater 276. The clientrelations manager may also provide or push information corresponding topossible leads for potential engagements to the application server 124for dissemination to the agent devices.

Communication between the client relations manager 126 and theapplication server 124 may be established using WebSocket channels forbidirectional and low-latency connections. For example, the app dataupdater 276 may transmit client data to the application server 124through the application server data socket listener 244. The clientrelations manager 126 may retrieve data stored in the system storageserver 122 for processing or presentation via the application server124. For example, the app data updater 276 may issue a data request tothe application server 124, the request may be received by the personaldata manager 242 (via the application server data socket listener 244)which instructs the database manager and database 262 (via the dataserver data socket 258 and data server data socket listener 260) toprovide the requested data to the client relations manager 126, receivedby the data socket listener 272 via the data server data socket 258.

The client relations manager 126 may provide a number of interfacesspecific to different classes of users for the collection of clientinformation. For example, the client relations manager 126 may provide acall center interface which allows call center agents to enter clientinformation as the call center agent speaks to a client on the phone.Such an interface may be configured for internal use, and may beaccessible within the insurance broker's call center via internalnetwork access. In some cases, the call center interface of clientrelations manager 126 may be provided using a web-accessible interfacesuch that any compatible web-browser may be used to access the clientrelations manager. In other cases, the client relations managerinterface may be application-based which uses a specific executableprogram to access the client relations manager 126. Leads for potentialengagements may be generated based on the information entered into theclient relations manager 126 by the agents during a call with a client.For example, the lead information may be generated and sent to nearbyagents (i.e. as a notification or alert) as soon as sufficientinformation is collected by the call center agent (e.g. the client'slocation or address), even while a call center agent is still on thephone with the client.

The client relations manager 126 may also provide an external interfacesuch as a publicly accessible web landing page or a homepage withcontent related to insurance products. For example, a consumer searchingfor insurance products may land on the landing page provided by theclient relations manager 126. In some embodiments, the publiclyaccessible webpage may be linked to the client relations manager 126through a secure communication channel to ensure data exchanged betweenthe visitor and the client relations manager 126 is secure.

The client relations manager 126 may also feature a quote estimatorfunction to allow a visitor to determine the possible premiums for aparticular type of insurance coverage based on information provided bythe visitor (now a potential client). As such, the public interface ofthe client relations manager 126 may be configured to accept clientinput through an input form. The input form may include requests forinformation such as gender, age, known current medical conditions andcurrent medications. In some embodiments, the input form may further askthe client for their contact information so that a call centerrepresentative may follow up with their query. In some embodiments, thevisitor may set up an appointment with an agent to discuss insuranceoptions in an engagement.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an example method 300 for establishing anengagement. Reference will be made simultaneously to FIGS. 2 and 5A to5E for illustrating the method 300 in FIG. 4.

In some embodiments, the method 300 may be performed by the applicationserver 124. In some embodiments, different system components may operatecooperatively to execute the method 300.

At 310, information regarding a potential client, including addressinformation, may be collected. The potential client may be in contactwith the insurance broker in a number of ways. For example, thepotential client may call the broker's call center to speak with a callcenter agent. In other cases, the call center agent may initiate afollow up call having received contact information via the front facingportion of the client relations manager 126, for example, via an inputform for requesting insurance quotes. In some cases, the information maybe collected directly by the client relations manager 126 via an onlineform without involving the call center call center.

The information collected may include the client's age, gender, the typeof insurance the client is looking for as well as their addressinformation. The collected information may then be used to generateleads upon which engagements between an insurance agent and the clientcan be arranged. Having obtained the address information and theinsurance product of interest, the client relations manager 126 mayprovide this lead information to the application server 124 for furtherprocessing.

At 315, the application server 124 can generate a lead notificationmessage based on the client information received from the clientrelations manager 126. A lead notification message may be generated fordistribution as soon as the location of the client is determined andprovided to the application server 124. In some cases, the clientrelations manager 126 may generate the lead notification message, whichis provided to the application server 124 for distribution.

At 320, when the lead notification message is ready to be distributed,the application server 124 may proceed to identify one or more activeagent devices near the location of the client. Nearby agents may beidentified based on the location information transmitted by theirassociated agent devices to the application server 124. Each agentdevice 140 can transmit a location data stream via a WebSocket channelto the application server 124 so that the location data may be used toidentify the proximity between the active agent device 140 and thepotential client.

Depending on the usage of the messaging system 120, different proximitythresholds may be set. Within the insurance context, for example, theinsurance broker may define the proximity threshold between an activeagent and a potential client that falls within a nearby parameter. Forexample, proximity may be determined based on travel time or actualdistance. In some cases, proximity may be defined by a geometrical shapewith its center corresponding to the location of the potential client.For example, a square with its center set at the location of thepotential client can be defined and any active agent devices whosecurrent location falls within the square may be considered a nearbyagent. The size of the square may be varied depending on the location ofthe potential client. For example, a smaller square may be defined indensely populated or urban areas, while a larger square may be used forless populated or rural areas. In other cases, the area considered maybe defined by other shapes that may be more preferable such as a circleor rectangle.

In some embodiments, the locations of the active agent devices 140 maybe retained in the system storage server 122 for a defined period oftime (e.g. for 90 minutes or other time periods) before it is no longerregarded as current. It is possible that even if the active agent device140 has moved beyond a designated area, that active agent device 140 maystill be regarded as a nearby agent.

At 325, having identified one or more nearby agents, lead notificationmessages may be distributed to these nearby agents. The leadnotification message may include a unique recipient identifier,information corresponding to the type of insurance the client is lookingfor and the approximate distance. The lead notification messages may beconcurrently distributed to the nearby agents so that the nearby agentdevices 140 can receive the notifications at substantially the sametime, with minimal delay between each recipient receiving theirrespective notification. For example, the recipients of thenotifications may be high-performing as well as average- orlow-performing agents. If a less experienced or low-performing agent isnotified first and responds first, that agent may end up being selectedto participate in an engagement over a more experienced orhigher-performing agent because there was a delay in latter agentreceiving a notification. The likelihood of a successful sale may bereduced as a result of the low-performing agent's experience level.

In some embodiments, the application server 124 may execute or spawnmultiple system processes for the purpose of generating and distributinglead notification messages to facilitate concurrent reception. Forexample, the number of processes spawned may be equal to the number ofnearby agents set to receive the lead notification messages. In doingso, each process may be responsible for distributing one leadnotification message to minimize processing delays. In some embodiments,the distribution of lead notification messages may utilize a dedicatedlead notification distribution system to distribute the leadnotification messages. This system may be optimized to communicate withthe agent devices in a way that maximizes the likelihood of concurrentreception. For example, the dedicated lead notification system may beoperated by a third party provider with capabilities and infrastructureto facilitate cross-platform (e.g. iOS and Android) concurrent delivery.

The application server 124 may spawn processes to generate the leadnotification and access the lead notification system using variousimplementations, such as web-based API calls to schedule thenotifications. For example, each process launched by the applicationserver 124 may execute an API call to the lead notification system. Thenotifications transferred to the lead notification distribution systemmay be forwarded to the nearby agent devices based on the uniquerecipient identifier. In other embodiments, a dedicated leadnotification system may not be used. For example, the messagedistribution process may use an existing WebSocket channel establishedbetween an agent device 210 and the application server 124 to distributethe notification. In other embodiments, the process may send the leadnotification using a new WebSocket channel.

On the active agent's device 140, the notification may be displayed onthe user interface 220 of the agent device 210. For example, as shown inFIG. 5A, the lead notification may appear on the agent device 140 screenindicating the type of insurance a client is looking for as well as theestimated travel time to the client for an engagement. Depending on thelocation of an agent, that agent may be considered a nearby agent for anumber of possible engagements. As such, an agent may receive multiplelead notifications as shown in FIG. 5A. Also shown in FIG. 5A is thatthe notification may be expanded, by tapping on the expansion control410 of the lead notification. FIG. 5B shows an expanded leadnotification, which provides additional information such as the actualdistance to the client's location.

At 330, the application server 124 may receive a response correspondingto an input by the agent which indicates whether or not an active agentwho received the lead notification message is available to participatein an engagement. The agent may respond to the lead notification messageby activating an input control on the user interface 220 to indicatethat the agent is available to sell the particular insurance productlisted in the lead notification message. Activating the input controlcan be referred to as submitting a “vote” from the active agentindicating to the application server 124 that the active agent wishes tobe considered for the engagement. Upon activating the input control onthe user interface 220, the user action handler 222 may process theaction and transmit the response to the personal data manager 242 of theapplication server 124 via the factory socket 238. In circumstanceswhere an active agent is presented with multiple lead notifications,that agent may submit a vote for more than one lead notification.

In some embodiments, the lead notification may remain open for votes andsubsequently close (i.e. no longer accept responses) when an engagementhas been confirmed with the potential client. An engagement may beconfirmed during an interaction between a call center agent and apotential client if, for instance, the call center agent informs thepotential client that agents are available to meet the client within thenext 60 minutes and the potential client agrees to meet an agent forfurther discussion. The call center agent may then confirm the time ofthe engagement upon which time the lead may close.

At 335, confirmation of the engagement may cause the lead notificationto close, so that the application server 124 may stop accepting votesfor that lead. If an agent did not respond to the lead notification bythe time the lead closes, then that particular agent may be deemed notto have voted. In some embodiments, the lead notification may indicate atime limit for providing a response. If the time to respond has lapsedand the agent did not respond, then that agent may similarly be deemednot to have voted.

At 340, when an engagement is confirmed, a notification to confirm thenearby agents' availability may be sent by the application server 124 toall the nearby agents that have previously voted for the lead. Thenearby agents that voted may be presented with another input controlsuch as an “Accept” control 430 on the user interface 220 (as shown inFIG. 5B) and/or a “Decline” control (not shown). Activating the “Accept”control may indicate to the application server 124 that the agent isready and willing to participate in the engagement if selected.Activating the “Decline” control may be used to indicate to theapplication server 124 that the agent is no longer available for theengagement.

The input received via the input control may be received by the useraction handler 222 which then transmits the response to the personaldata manager 242 of the application server 124 via the factory socket238. Upon the agent confirming a lead notification (e.g., by activatingthe “Accept” control 430), the user interface 220 of the mobileapplication may be updated to indicate to the agent to wait for aconfirmation, if any, that the agent has been selected to meet with theclient as shown in FIG. 5C. A checkmark 420 may be displayed next to thelead notification to indicate that the lead has been accepted (i.e.available to take the lead), for example, as shown in FIG. 5C. In someembodiments, a time limit may be imposed for which an agent may “Accept”or “Decline” their availability. For example, if an agent fails torespond, the application server 124 may deem that agent to have selected“Decline”.

The application server 124 may use the confirmations provided by thenearby agents as an indication that the agent is ready, available andcommitted to attend the engagement if one of those agents were selectedto meet with the client. As such, no further input to confirm may berequired. Accordingly, an agent may only be permitted to confirmavailability for one lead at a time, unlike the agent's ability to votefor multiple leads. In other words, once an agent has confirmed his orher availability for a particular lead, the “Accept” controlscorresponding to other leads may be disabled by the user interface 220of the mobile application 210 a until an agent has been selected forthat lead.

At 345, a nearby active agent that may be selected to attend theengagement and meet with the client. Different methods of selecting anactive agent can be used. For example, each agent may be given a scorederived based on various factors including, but not limited to, feedbackfrom clients on past engagements, the success rate of the agent insecuring a sale and expertise in the type of insurance being sold. Also,ranking of active agents may be produced from which the highest rankedagent may be selected.

At 350, a nearby active agent may be selected to attend the engagement.Subsequently, a notification specifically for the selected agent may beprovided as shown in FIG. 5D, the notification containing details of theengagement, including the time and location. The agents that were notselected may also be provided a notification indicating that they werenot selected for the engagement and may resume voting or confirmingtheir availability for other potential engagements. Data related to theconfirmed engagement such as the time and location may be saved to aconfirmed engagement list on the system storage server 122. Theconfirmed engagement list may also record various parameters related tothe engagement for later analysis. For example, for each appointment,information regarding the agent's travel time, duration of theengagement, the agent's arrival time (i.e. whether he/she was late orearly), and whether the engagement was an instant engagement (e.g. anengagement set up between a client and an available agent) or ascheduled engagement (e.g. the client may have a specific agent in mindand has scheduled an engagement ahead of time).

In some embodiments, the application server 124 may request the selectedagent to acknowledge that they have been selected prior to receivingdetails regarding the engagement. This may be useful in situations wherethe agent was previously within the defined area that is considered nearthe client but has since traveled outside of that defined area. Thenotification requesting acknowledgement may have a time limit imposedsuch that upon expiration of that time limit, a second agent in the listof agents that have voted may be selected and notified instead. If thesecond agent acknowledges being selected, then 350 may be performed.

As shown in FIGS. 5D and 5E, the notification sent to the selected agentmay also include mapping data that the agent may access by interactingwith the user interface 220. The mapping data may be used to plot on amap on the user interface 220 of the agent device 210 to indicate thelocation of the confirmed engagement including the exact addressdisplayed in a text box 440, as shown in FIG. 5E. In some embodiments,the mobile application may be configured to access external informationresources for providing enhanced features such as driving directions andtraffic data.

Referring now to FIG. 6, which shows a flowchart of an example method500 for establishing voice communication after an agent is selected.

Method 500 can continue from the method 300 of FIG. 4. Steps 350 and 510are analogous. Method 500 can facilitate direct communication with theclient to enable a better client-agent relationship to be formed priorto the engagement and would allow the client, if desired, to modifydetails of the engagement, such as the meeting location.

At 510, a notification for the selected agent may be provided as shownin FIG. 5D. The agents that were not selected may also be provided anotification indicating that they were not selected for the engagementand may resume voting or confirming their availability for otherpotential engagements. Data related to the confirmed engagement such asthe time and location may be saved to a confirmed engagement list on thesystem storage server 122.

At 515, the selected agent may choose to speak with the client throughthe mobile application. The user interface 220 may provide theappropriate inputs allowing the agent to submit a call request to theapplication server 124 to indicate that a call is desired. If theselected agent does not choose to speak with the client, the processends. The selected agent may proceed to the engagement based on theengagement information provided by the application server 124.

If the selected agent elects to call, the application server 124 mayreceive the call request at the factory socket listener 240 through thefactory socket 238. The request may then be forwarded to the clientrelations manager 126 and processed by the client relations manager 126.The call center agent may be notified of the call request who may inturn advise the client of the call and connect the selected agent withthe client. The application server 124 may reroute the client's voiceconnection from the call center to the selected agent's the mobileapplication 210 a. In other words, the interaction is handed off fromthe call center agent to the selected agent.

At 520, a voice communication channel may be established between theagent and the call center. Voice data may be transmitted using varioustechnologies. For example, the application server 124 and mobileapplication may be configured to use voice over IP (VoIP) technologiesto transmit voice data. For example, the mobile application may becompiled with an HTML5 soft phone framework to access one or moreSession Initiation Protocol (SIP) trunk connections provided by theapplication server 124.

At 525, the call center agent may notify the client on the call toadvise the client that the call would be handed off to the agentselected for the engagement. The handoff may be coordinated by the VoIPsoftware integrated into the client relations manager and applicationserver 124 so that the call between the client and the selected agentmay be routed through the application server 124.

At 530, the call may be archived by the application server 124 forrecord keeping. While it may be understood that voice calls may behandled using other manners such as using standard telephone connectionsrouted through a traditional telecom provider, it may be more convenientto route the call through the application server 124. Upon the agentengaging in the call, the call center is no longer involved in theinteraction. By routing the call through the application server, arecord of the call and the interaction may be maintained. In some cases,the conversation may be recorded and a text transcript may be generatedfor quality assurance.

In some embodiments, the client may be able to set up an engagementwithout the assistance of a call center agent. This process may bereferred to as self-directed engagement. In other words, the call centermay be excluded completely from the interaction. FIG. 8 shows aflowchart that illustrates an example method 700 for communicating anengagement on a self-directed basis.

Setting up an engagement may be accomplished, for example, where theclient is able to interact with the client relations manager 126directly. The client relations manager 126 can provide a publicinterface, such as a webpage with content related to insurance products.For example, the webpage can include a quote estimator to allow thepotential client to estimate the insurance premium for a particular typeof insurance product. The webpage may be accessible by anyone withaccess to the Internet and can accept input from a user to collectinformation needed to generate a lead.

At 710, a potential client visits the webpage and can enter informationinto an online form. The information can include location data. Anexample portion of the webpage is shown in FIG. 7. The web pageinterface can include a drop-down control 620 to enable the potentialclient to select the type of insurance coverage desired. An input field640 may be provided to allow the client to input their postal code toindicate their area of residence, since insurance premiums may varydepending on location. By activating the “Get a Quote” control 640, theinformation entered into the controls 620 and 640 is submitted to theclient relations manager 126, and a lead notification message can begenerated for distribution to nearby active agents at 715.

At 720, nearby active agents may be identified as described with respectto 320 of FIG. 4, and lead notifications may be distributed in a mannersimilar to 325 of FIG. 4. Responses confirming the availability ofnearby agents may be received by the application server 124 at 725(similar to the method described with respect to 330 of FIG. 4). Uponreceipt of the agent responses, the application server 124 may indicateto the client relations manager 126 that agents are available for anengagement with the client. The webpage may then include a notificationmessage to indicate to the potential client that agents are availablefor an engagement.

At 730, the webpage interface may generate a notification message thatincludes one or more engagement times that may be selected by theclient.

At 735, an engagement may be confirmed with the client if the clientselects an available time slot. Similar to 340, 345 and 350 of FIG. 4,at 740, 745 and 750, the availability of the nearby agents may beconfirmed, an agent may be selected for the engagement, and thenotifications may be distributed regarding the results of the selectionprocess, respectively.

The method 500 described with respect to FIG. 6 may continue from method600, in some embodiments. For example, after an agent is selected forthe engagement, the selected agent may elect to communicate directlywith the potential client. The potential client's user interface may beupdated by the client relations manager 126 to indicate to the clientwhether the client wishes to speak directly with the agent selected forthe engagement, prior to meeting in person. If the potential clientagrees to speak with the selected agent, the potential client may beasked by the client relations manager 126 to input their telephonenumber (if not already available) and a phone call may be established.This call may be routed through the application server 124 so that arecord of the interaction may be made and a text transcript may begenerated for quality assurance.

Referring now to FIG. 9, which is a flowchart of another example method800 of communicating an engagement with the systems described herein.

At least one data communication socket is provided for each activemobile device, such as agent device 210 of FIG. 2. The datacommunication socket provided for each active mobile device can includea location data communication socket for communicating data related tolocation and a secondary data communication socket for communicatingdata other data.

At 810, the messaging system 120 identifies a qualified active mobiledevice.

An active mobile device is qualified when that mobile device isassociated with a user account that has been assigned a qualifiedaccount type. An unqualified account type refers to user accounts thatare not qualified account types.

A user account can be assigned the qualified account type based ondifferent criteria. In some embodiments, a user account can be assignedthe qualified account type when that user account is qualified to sell aset of certain products. This can encourage the agents to offer specificproducts so that they can continue to benefit from receiving engagementsfrom the messaging system 120. For example, within the insurance field,the user account can be a qualified user account when that user accountsells a certain brand or brands of insurance products. When a useraccount sells both Specialty Life Insurance™ (SLI) and IVARI™ products,for example, that user account will be assigned the qualified accounttype. Other products can be identified for determining whether a useraccount is a qualified account type.

In some embodiments, the messaging system 120 can identify a qualifiedactive mobile device by identifying agencies that are associated with aqualified account type and identify the agents within the identifiedagencies. Some agencies may need to be excluded due to regulatory orother limitations, such as the absence of agents in the jurisdiction ofinterest.

In some embodiments, the qualified active mobile devices can beidentified from active mobile devices near the engagement location toexpedite the engagement, as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 8,for example.

At 820, the messaging system 120 selects a qualified active mobiledevice for receiving an engagement notification.

From the active mobile devices identified to be qualified active mobiledevices at 810, the messaging system 120 can then select one qualifiedactive mobile device to receive the engagement notification. Themessaging system 120 can select a qualified user account with apreferred record to receive the engagement notification. The preferredrecord can be identified based on one or more factors, such asperformance of the agent, responsiveness of the agent, whether the agentis connected to a preferred agency, the brands most frequently sold bythe agent, and other related factors.

In some embodiments, the preferred record can include a performancerecord with a highest sales record. The sales record can be determinedfrom the sales by an agent within a certain time period, such as themost recent 30 or 60 days, or can be determined from an average saleover a number of engagements. In some embodiments, the preferred recordcan correspond to an account level of a user account. Each user accountcan be assigned an account level that is reflective of the performanceand/or seniority of that user.

In some embodiments, each user account can be limited to a number ofengagements within an engagement period. Prior to forwarding theengagement notification, the messaging system 120 can determine whetherthe user account has exceeded a maximum number of engagements for theengagement period and if so, another user account is selected to receivethe engagement notification.

At 830, the messaging system 120 provides the engagement notification tothe selected qualified active mobile device. The messaging system 120can then forward the engagement notification to the selected qualifiedactive mobile device. The engagement notification can include controlsfor receiving a reply from the agent operating the selected qualifiedactive mobile device.

At 840, the messaging system 120 detects a reply from the selectedqualified active mobile device via the data communication socket. Aftercommunicating the engagement notification, the messaging system 120waits for a reply to indicate whether the selected agent accepts ordeclines the engagement. It is possible that no reply is received fromthe selected agent. The messaging system 120 can store the type of replyreceived and that reply can affect the record of that user. For example,if a selected agent frequently fails to reply to the engagementnotification, the messaging system 120 can determine that the agent isnot interested and/or responsive to the engagements, and the messagingsystem 120 can stop forwarding the engagements to that agent or decreasethe preference level of that agent.

FIG. 10 shows an example method of communicating the engagement to asubsequent agent device 210.

At 910, the messaging system 120 determines whether a reply was receivedfrom the selected qualified active mobile device within a notificationperiod. If the reply is received within the notification period, themessaging system 120 then proceeds to 920, otherwise, the messagingsystem 120 proceeds to 930.

The notification period can vary with the urgency of the engagement asdetermined from the type of product/service, the time of the requestedengagement and other factors. In some embodiments, the notificationperiod can be 30 minutes.

At 920, the messaging system 120 determines whether the reply indicatesan acceptance of the engagement. If so, the messaging system 120generates an engagement confirmation notification at 940 and transmitsthe engagement confirmation notification to the selected qualifiedactive mobile device. The engagement confirmation notification caninclude a portion of the engagement information, such as personalinformation about the potential client, the engagement location, and/orother relevant information regarding the engagement.

However, if the reply declines the engagement, the messaging system 120selects a subsequent qualified active mobile device to receive theengagement notification at 930.

The messaging system 120 can select the subsequent qualified activemobile device by identifying the qualified user with the next highestsales record.

It will be appreciated that numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the example embodimentsdescribed herein. However, it will be understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art that the embodiments described herein may be practicedwithout these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods,procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not toobscure the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, this descriptionand the drawings are not to be considered as limiting the scope of theembodiments described herein in any way, but rather as merely describingthe implementation of the various embodiments described herein.

It should be noted that terms of degree such as “substantially”, “about”and “approximately” when used herein mean a reasonable amount ofdeviation of the modified term such that the end result is notsignificantly changed. These terms of degree should be construed asincluding a deviation of the modified term if this deviation would notnegate the meaning of the term it modifies.

In addition, as used herein, the wording “and/or” is intended torepresent an inclusive-or. That is, “X and/or Y” is intended to mean Xor Y or both, for example. As a further example, “X, Y, and/or Z” isintended to mean X or Y or Z or any combination thereof.

It should be noted that the term “coupled” used herein indicates thattwo elements can be directly coupled to one another or coupled to oneanother through one or more intermediate elements.

The embodiments of the systems and methods described herein may beimplemented in hardware or software, or a combination of both. Theseembodiments may be implemented in computer programs executing onprogrammable computers each including at least one processor, a datastorage system (including volatile and non-volatile memory and/orstorage elements), and at least one communication interface. For exampleand without limitation, the programmable computers may be a server,network appliance, embedded device, computer expansion module, apersonal computer, laptop, personal data assistant, cellular telephone,smart-phone device, tablet computer, a wireless device or any othercomputing device capable of being configured to carry out the methodsdescribed herein.

Each program may be implemented in a high level procedural or objectoriented programming and/or scripting language to communicate with acomputer system. However, the programs may be implemented in assembly ormachine language, if desired. In any case, the language may be acompiled or interpreted language. Each such computer program may bestored on a storage media or a device (e.g. ROM or magnetic disk,optical disc) readable by a general or special purpose programmablecomputer, for configuring and operating the computer when the storagemedia or device is read by the computer to perform the proceduresdescribed herein. Embodiments of the system may also be considered to beimplemented as a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium,configured with a computer program, where the storage medium soconfigured causes a computer to operate in a specific and predefinedmanner to perform the functions described herein.

Furthermore, the system, processes and methods of the describedembodiments are capable of being distributed in a computer programproduct comprising a computer readable medium that bears computer usableinstructions for one or more processors. The medium can be provided invarious forms, including one or more diskettes, compact disks, tapes,chips, wireline transmissions, satellite transmissions, internettransmission or downloadings, magnetic and electronic storage media,digital and analog signals, and the like. The computer useableinstructions may also be in various forms, including compiled andnon-compiled code.

Various embodiments have been described herein by way of example only.Various modification and variations may be made to these exampleembodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, which is limited only by the appended claims. Also, in thevarious user interfaces illustrated in the drawings, it will beunderstood that the illustrated user interface text and controls areprovided as examples only and are not meant to be limiting. Othersuitable user interface elements may be possible.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A method of communicating an engagement toa plurality of active mobile devices, wherein each active mobile deviceis associated with an active user, the method comprising: providing atleast one data communication socket for each active mobile device in theplurality of active mobile devices, wherein the at least one datacommunication socket comprises a location data communication socket anda secondary data communication socket; receiving a plurality of locationdata streams, wherein each location data stream comprises location datacorresponding to a physical location of each active mobile device, andwherein the location data is communicated via the location datacommunication socket; receiving engagement information comprising atleast an engagement location; in response to receiving the engagementinformation, identifying one or more qualified active mobile devicesnear the engagement location, wherein identifying the one or morequalified active mobile device comprises: (i) detecting a set of nearbyactive mobile devices, wherein the set of nearby active mobile devicescomprises one or more active mobile devices within a proximity thresholdof the engagement location; and (ii) selecting the one or more qualifiedactive mobile devices from the set of nearby active mobile devices byidentifying the nearby active mobile devices associated with a qualifieduser account; selecting a qualified active mobile device from theidentified one or more qualified active mobile devices for receiving anengagement notification, wherein the selected qualified active mobiledevice corresponds to the qualified user account with a preferredrecord; providing the engagement notification to the selected qualifiedactive mobile device; and detecting a reply from the selected qualifiedactive mobile device via the second data communication socket.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein identifying the nearby active mobile devicesassociated with the qualified user account comprises: determining anaccount type associated with each user account corresponding to eachnearby active mobile devices of the set of nearby active mobile devices,wherein the account type comprises a qualified account type and anunqualified account type.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein thequalified account type is assigned to a user account qualified to offera set of products.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting thequalified active mobile device from the identified one or more qualifiedactive mobile devices for receiving the engagement notificationcomprises: determining a performance record associated with each useraccount corresponding to the identified one or more qualified activemobile devices, wherein the preferred record comprises the performancerecord with a highest sales record.
 5. The method of claim 1, whereindetecting the reply from the selected qualified active mobile device viathe second data communication socket comprises: receiving the reply fromthe selected qualified active mobile device; and in response to anacceptance of the engagement, transmitting at least a portion of theengagement information to the selected qualified active mobile device,and in response to a decline of the engagement, selecting a subsequentqualified active mobile device from the identified one or more qualifiedactive mobile devices to receive the engagement notification.
 6. Themethod of claim 5, wherein selecting the subsequent qualified activemobile device from the identified one or more qualified active mobiledevices to receive the engagement notification comprises: selecting aqualified active mobile device from the identified one or more qualifiedactive mobile devices that corresponds to the qualified user with a nexthighest sales record.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting thereply from the selected qualified active mobile device via the seconddata communication socket comprises: determining whether the reply isreceived within a notification period; and in response to determiningthe reply is received within the notification period, generating anengagement confirmation notification to the selected qualified activemobile device, otherwise, selecting a subsequent qualified active mobiledevice from the identified one or more qualified active mobile devicesto receive the engagement notification.
 8. The method of claim 1,wherein selecting the qualified active mobile device from the identifiedone or more qualified active mobile devices for receiving the engagementnotification comprises: determining an account level associated witheach user account corresponding to the identified one or more qualifiedactive mobile devices, wherein the preferred record comprises theaccount level with at least one of a highest seniority and a highestsales record.
 9. A system for communicating an engagement to a pluralityof active mobile devices, wherein each active mobile device isassociated with an active user, the system comprising: a communicationinterface; a non-transitory memory; a computer processor configured toexecute instructions stored in the non-transitory memory to: establish,at the communication interface, at least one data communication socketfor each active mobile device, wherein the at least one datacommunication socket comprises a location data communication socket anda secondary data communication socket; receive, at the communicationinterface, a plurality of location data streams, wherein each locationdata stream comprises location data corresponding to a physical locationof each active mobile device, and wherein the location data iscommunicated via the location data communication socket; receive, at thecommunication interface, engagement information comprising at least anengagement location; in response to receiving the engagementinformation, identify one or more qualified active mobile devices nearthe engagement location by: (i) detecting a set of nearby active mobiledevices, wherein the set of nearby active mobile devices comprises oneor more active mobile devices within a proximity threshold of theengagement location; and (ii) selecting the one or more qualified activemobile devices from the set of nearby active mobile devices byidentifying the nearby active mobile devices associated with a qualifieduser account; select a qualified active mobile device from theidentified one or more qualified active mobile devices for receiving anengagement notification, wherein the qualified active mobile devicecorresponds to the qualified user account with a preferred record;provide the engagement notification to the selected qualified activemobile device; and detect a reply from the selected qualified activemobile device via the second data communication socket.
 10. The systemof claim 9, wherein the qualified user account comprises a user accountqualified to offer a set of products.
 11. The system of claim 9, whereinthe computer processor is configured to: determine a performance recordassociated with each user account corresponding to the identified one ormore qualified active mobile devices, wherein the preferred recordcomprises the performance record with a highest sales record.
 12. Thesystem of claim 9, wherein the computer processor is configured to:receive the reply from the selected qualified active mobile device; andin response to an acceptance of the engagement, transmit at least aportion of the engagement information to the selected qualified activemobile device, and in response to a decline of the engagement, select asubsequent qualified active mobile device from the identified one ormore qualified active mobile devices to receive the engagementnotification.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer processoris configured to: select a qualified active mobile device from theidentified one or more qualified active mobile devices that correspondsto the preferred user with a subsequent preferred record.
 14. The systemof claim 9, wherein the computer processor is configured to: determinewhether the reply is received within a notification period; and inresponse to determining the reply is received within the notificationperiod, generate an engagement confirmation notification to the selectedqualified active mobile device, otherwise, select a subsequent qualifiedactive mobile device from the identified one or more qualified activemobile devices to receive the engagement notification.
 15. The system ofclaim 9, wherein the computer processor is configured to: determine anaccount type associated with each user account corresponding to eachnearby active mobile devices of the set of nearby active mobile devices,wherein the account type comprises a qualified account type and anunqualified account type.
 16. The system of claim 9, wherein thecomputer processor is configured to: determine an account levelassociated with each user account corresponding to the identified one ormore qualified active mobile devices, wherein the preferred recordcomprises the account level with at least one of a highest seniority anda highest sales record.